Time to slow down and live life!

Hurry Up, Come on, Lets go are words that seem to regularly leave my mouth especially where the kids are concerned. I am rushing them out the door, rushing them along the path or in to the car we just always seem to be rushing.

You see when you become a mum its a whole new way of life, a whole new schedule and with another little person to look after as well as doctors appointments, play dates, baby classes, music classes and later on school runs, after school clubs and so on you become a bit of a machine. Always with somewhere to be or something to do, a schedule to adhere to and a place to be.

Both James and Evelyn are observant children they like to look around noticing things that I may otherwise have breezed past in my schedule fueled frenzy. James especially now he is a little older loves taking his time to peruse the world at his leisure and I actually found myself getting frustrated. Why?... I have no idea and when I look back now I feel annoyed and shamed of myself for feeling this way. For putting a schedule above my children's enjoyment of life!

This is when I decided I needed to slow down, I needed to story hurrying them along, let them enjoy life at their pace and let them discover the world and all it has to offer.
So we are late for a play date, our friends will still be there when we arrive and I am sure will totally understand and love to hear James' story about how we stopped to watch a squirrel leaping through the trees or to pet a lovely dog.

I needed to stop getting frustrated when James wanted to talk to a dog or pick up some brightly coloured leaves, I needed to listen to his stories but not just listen REALLY listen! I need to remember that appointments can be rearranged, friends will understand but discovering the world with so much joy that a child has simply cannot be replaced or hurried.

After all the world is still so new to them James is just 6 and Evelyn not even 2 yet. There are every day things they are still discovering, exploring and marveling at. I forget how exciting it is to see a squirrel or crunch in crispy leaves as a child. I forgot how exciting a park or a walk along the river can be for a child for whom the world is so new, so exciting so mind boggling that they are just trying to work it all out.

So I have decided to make an active try at change, less hurrying more enjoyment! I want to watch my children marvel at the world and relive it all through them. I want to take them camping so we can toast marshmallows on an open fire and spend time just talking and listening to each other. I want to spend that extra bit of time looking at the caterpillar on the way home from school rather than just hurrying James along. I want to crunch in those crunchy leaves, listen to his tales from school and take time to just enjoy life.

I want my children to know that lie is for living, for enjoying, for discovering. Its not for rushing or hurrying its about taking the simply joys that are all around them and really noticing them. I hope that my change will reflect in our life as a family and that together we can become more relaxed and chilled out.

xXx